7-ON-7: Led by Hood, Montgomery makes most of state tournament run

Montgomery defensive back Caleb Schneider break up a pass during a game in the Adidas Texas 7-on-7 Championships at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex, Saturday, July 1, 2017, in College Station.

Montgomery defensive back Caleb Schneider break up a pass during a game in the Adidas Texas 7-on-7 Championships at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex, Saturday, July 1, 2017, in College Station.

Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

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Montgomery defensive back Caleb Schneider break up a pass during a game in the Adidas Texas 7-on-7 Championships at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex, Saturday, July 1, 2017, in College Station.

Montgomery defensive back Caleb Schneider break up a pass during a game in the Adidas Texas 7-on-7 Championships at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex, Saturday, July 1, 2017, in College Station.

Photo: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

7-ON-7: Led by Hood, Montgomery makes most of state tournament run

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COLLEGE STATION - As Jordan Hood pulled himself up out of his lawn chair late Saturday morning at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex, he wore a look a heat-induced fatigue on his face.

But once the incoming senior quarterback started talking about his Montgomery team and how the Bears had qualified for the Texas State 7-on-7 Tournament for the first time in three years, that look of exhaustion quickly turned into a subtle smile.

"When we started out, we knew we had a bunch of talent coming back," Hood said. "We knew we were going to be pretty good, but we came out here, we competed, and I think we did a heck of a job. I don't think people were expecting us to make it back here, and we showed them."

The Bears completed the second day of competition by going 1-1 in the championship bracket. Montgomery kicked things off with a 27-20 victory over Richmond Foster before falling to All Saints Episcopal (Fort Worth) - the back-to-back SPC champion - by a score of 41-35.

Guided by Josh Bolfing, a former Montgomery signal-caller himself and the second-oldest son of head coach John Bolfing, the Bears' 7-on-7 team punched its ticket to College Station early in the summer at The Woodlands' state qualifying tournament.

Hood has benefited from having his predecessor on the sideline throughout the summer as he's honed his skills as a passer. He threw nine touchdowns against just one interceptions in two games on Saturday and completed 28 of his 35 passes against All Saints.

"His progression from last summer to this summer, it's crazy," said Josh Bolfing, who now plays at Kilgore College and threw for 56 career touchdowns during his high school days. "It's cool to see. He's really commanding the field. Last year, [Hood and Caleb Campbell] were still fighting for the first-string spot, but he's taken over, and he's done a great job. He's leading the team, he's more accurate, and he's got a stronger arm."

Hood completed 54 percent of his passes for more than 1,600 yards last season as a junior after winning the starting job over Campbell, his good friend and now reliable receiving target. In his first year as a full-time starter, he threw 11 touchdowns against eight interceptions and added 510 yards and 13 scores on the ground.

Perhaps his best game of the season came when the Bears needed it the most - during a 51-41 loss to Rockwall in the Class 6A bi-district playoffs. Hood showed his progress as a signal-caller, completing 21 of 33 passes for 305 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also collected two rushing scores and gave his team a chance to pull off the upset.

As one of only two returning starting quarterbacks in District 12-6A this fall, Hood is hoping to take both his game and his team to the next level. Participating in 7-on-7 has served as a tool for improvement, even though it doesn't directly correlate with tackle football.

"We get so many reps of running our plays, and timing is such a huge factor," John Bolfing said. "And that's the great thing that I see - the ball is coming out of his hand before the receivers are making the breaks, and then the receivers know the ball is going to be there, and they make the catch. So the timing has just gotten better and better throughout the summer."